Playground safety goal of Eagle Scout project

Thursday

Apr 11, 2013 at 4:19 PM

Eagle Scout candidate William Prince led a group of scouts and adult leaders in completing his community service project, which was to make the Citra Community Center playground a safer haven for those who use the facility.

By Andy FillmoreCorrespondent

Eagle Scout candidate William Prince led a group of Scouts and adult leaders in completing his community service project, which was to make the Citra Community Center playground a safer haven for those who use the facility.

The group, including volunteers from William’s Troop 563, as well as family members and friends, on Saturday installed, leveled and painted 44 traffic barriers around the playground to keep traffic from getting too close to youngsters and equipment.

Bette Harris, William’s grandmother and president of the Citra Improvement Society, praised the additions.

“The CIS board authorized the project. The barriers will keep vehicles at a distance from the slide and playground equipment. Recently, some equipment was stolen by someone backing up to it with a vehicle,” Harris said.

“The wooden poles are intended to block cars and ensure kids can play safely. They will also discourage theft of the playground equipment,” said William, 17, an 11th-grader at North Marion High School and a member of the Air Force Junior ROTC program.

“My parents gave me a lot of encouragement,” he added, as his mother, Ruth Prince, made arrangements at the site and his father, Charles Prince, worked at setting poles.

William has been involved in Scouting for seven years and has earned 23 merit badges.

“The First Aid badge was one which required a lot of effort and paperwork. I liked earning the shotgun badge,” he said.

His Eagle Scout project, which is required to reach Scouting’s top rank, will require an estimated 200 hours to finish, including planning, obtaining donations and workdays. The pressure-treated poles put in place are topped with yellow paint for visibility. They were donated by Harrison Logging. Mulch also was added to the center of the playground as part of the project.